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Hoke is an Ohio native and Ball State alumnus, but he is a former Wolverines assistant.

Athletic director Dave Brandon insisted Hoke was always Plan A, not Miles nor Jim Harbaugh, who left Stanford to coach the 49ers.

"Brady Hoke understands Michigan, and he wanted this job because it has been (his) dream job," Brandon said.

Hoke, who coached Michigan's defensive line during the 1997 national championship season, went on to turn around Ball State as a coach from 2003 to 2008 and pulled off another feat the past two seasons at San Diego State.

He replaces Rich Rodriguez, who was fired after going 15-22 in three disappointing seasons.

Miles, meanwhile, decided to try to build on his success at LSU rather than rebuild Michigan, the team for which he once played.

"The want and need to stand by my commitment to the team that I coach and the school that I represent really overshadowed any other consideration," he said.

Auburn's mad dash

GLENDALE, Ariz. — He never heard a whistle, never felt his knee hit the turf. So, Auburn's Michael Dyer popped up, took a few steps then stopped and looked around.

In that split second, Dyer placed himself alongside Cam Newton, Bo Jackson and every other great player to wear an Auburn uniform.

Realizing the play was still going, Dyer started running again, past the tackler who thought he had him down and deep into Oregon territory.

That impressive run helped set up a short field goal on the last play that sent No. 1 Auburn over the No. 2 Ducks 22-19 in the BCS title game Monday.

Three plays after the 37-yard run, the freshman ran 16 yards to the 1 and set up Wes Byrum's 19-yard field goal with no time left.

It capped a 14-0 season and brought the title to Auburn for the first time since 1957.

Auburn won the Associated Press title, capping a first-of-its-kind climb up the rankings from No. 22 at the start of the season.

The modest projection came before Newton emerged as the game's most dynamic player.

"When you look at that guy a year ago, nobody knew who he was," coach Gene Chizik said. "And you look at just what he's done, it's a great story. He is a huge part of what our football team became."

RATINGS: ESPN earned the highest overnight ratings in network history for Monday night's BCS title game between Auburn and Oregon, but the ratings were down 11.5 percent from last year's Alabama-Texas title game. That's partly because the game was on cable (ESPN) as opposed to a network (ABC). ESPN earned a 16.1 overnight Nielsen rating.